Yorkshire snatch victory at Bromborough
Following a defeat on the road in Northumberland, the men's team welcomed their nemesis Yorkshire to an immaculate Bromborough on June 14th. It is ten years since we last beat Yorkshire, but this seemed the ideal opportunity to do so again with our opponents having three key players on duty nearby at the Amateur Championship.
We welcomed county champion Sam Johnson back to the team. He's completed his scholarship in the USA and fortunately has not returned with one of those annoying mid-Atlantic accents! Cole Self, fresh from a fabulous run of form also bolstered what looked a strong Cheshire contingent for a match that we had to win to maintain title-winning ambitions. Dan Heron (Royal Liverpool) also made a welcome return to the team having not appeared for several years.
The morning foursomes began well with Self and Johnson recording a convincing win. Behind them we held leads in four matches and until the last hour it seemed we might record an unprecedented 5-1 lead. But Yorkshire have grit, and they surged back to limit their deficit to a single point at lunch. A sign of things to come?
A winning start in the singles was vital for Cheshire. Sam and Cole duly obliged. With leads in several of the remaining ten matches, we only required a further 4 points to win and this began to look like a formality. Even those in the contingent of Yorkshire supporters were heard conceding that their prospects did not look good. Something you very rarely hear!
But the White Rose stirred again, and in a dramatic 45 minutes turned around a handful of matches that they seemed destined to lose. Despite a gritty half from a losing position for Alfie Oakes (Wilmslow) and fabulous last-hole wins for Josh McMahon and Matty Griffiths, we were unable to hold back the tide of the Yorkshire revival and succumbed 9.5 to 8.5. If ever there was a chastening loss, this was it.
The team will no doubt learn much from this experience. We have a strong squad and some very talented youngsters pushing for places in the men's team which augers well for the future. But league aspirations are now gone for 2026 and the "Big 6" Northern Counties Qualifying in August, which takes us back to Northumberland, will no doubt be our major short-term objective.
Image (top) Cole Self hits from the first tee
